‘Resilience' is key for New Hampshire farms — but state support of grant program is in doubt

Yahoo

13-03-2025

More than $700,000 in grants have been awarded through the program so far. (Courtesy of Keith Robinson)
In late May, a Charlestown farm was preparing to plant a crop of carrots and potatoes. Then, 4.5 inches of rain and hail fell in a little more than an hour.
'It caused tremendous damage and erosion of valuable soil, which is, you know, a limited resource that we need to protect,' said farmer Donna Bascom, of Bascom Farm. 'We could not get those crops in, and it severely undermined my growing season.'
This year is different, she said, thanks to the help of the Climate Resilience Grant Program, run through the state's 10 county conservation districts. Bascom will have a 100-by-16-foot caterpillar tunnel — a domed tunnel that protects the crops — that will allow her to plant 'even if we have drought or if we have another flooding season,' she said.
'It will give me more resiliency, and more resiliency to produce a crop for our consumers,' she said.
She is one of dozens of farmers who have benefited from the grant program, which was first launched in 2022. Since then, the program has provided grants totaling more than $700,000 to 95 farms across the state, with hopes to provide another $336,000 in grants this year.
The program acknowledges two realities: First, that farmers feel the impacts of a changing climate up close and in ways that can make an often difficult business even harder, and second, that the agricultural sector contributes to planet-warming emissions. The grants provide funds to address both these aspects — mitigation and adaptation.
'I think that the past few years, we've had periods of drought. 2023, we had periods of really intense flooding,' said Benée Hershon, the community engagement director with the Cheshire County Conservation District, in an interview. 'I think farmers are already starting to see and feel the impacts of climate change in our state. And I think that is also trickling down to community members who, you know, we rely on these farms for our local food system.'
The program funds projects in four main categories: soil health, water management, on-farm energy, and crop and livestock protection, said Amanda Littleton, the district manager of the Chester County Conservation District. The grants range up to $10,000 each, and farmers typically fund between a quarter and half of the project costs themselves, she said. And the demand is high, with about 30% of applicants turned away each year, Littleton said.
Private donors have funded the bulk of the program, but supporters say that state backing is needed. Bascom was one of the farmers making the pitch to lawmakers on the House Finance Committee for House Bill 246, which would provide $100,000 in state general funds to the program over fiscal years 2026 and 2027. So far, though, the fate of that legislation is uncertain in a tight budget year, with the committee voting last month to retain the bill.
'Our private funders are at the point where you know they're saying, 'Yeah, we're into it, we want to do this, but does the state care?'' said Lionel Chute, the director of natural resources for Sullivan County and the district manager of the county's conservation district, to the committee. Others echoed the point that state funding was essential for keeping donations flowing.
Agriculture in the state contributes significantly to the economy, supporting thousands of jobs, generating tens of millions in tax revenue, and contributing a total economic output of more than $500 million in 2019, according to a state report.
At the same time, farmers face difficult economic realities. Chute pointed to the 2022 U.S. Department of Agriculture census of agriculture, which found that 80% of commercial farms in the state grossed less than $25,000 a year, and 92% of farms grossed less than $100,000. In a good year, Chute said, farms are making net profits of about 10%, meaning most farmers in the state are left with only a few thousand dollars a year in profit, if that.
'We're talking about an agricultural system that is really hanging on by a thread,' Chute said.
Many of the farmers who have received grants from the program said the projects would not have been possible without the support of the grant program.
That's true for a 250-acre Pittsburg beef farm, where grants helped to upgrade its manure pit, purchase a hay feeder that helped reduce waste significantly, and rehabilitate its fields, said Rebecca and Keith Robinson, of Robinson Family Farm.
'If we hadn't received the funds, the projects would not have been able to get done,' Rebecca Robinson told lawmakers.
Keith Robinson said in an interview that the farm has tried to keep spending from the grants as local as possible, looking first to his community and within the state, and that they try to work primarily with small businesses.
Other projects in his county have included 'storm water collection systems, enhancing hay field quality, and retrofitting equipment for no-till use practices, and installing energy efficient solar panels,' he said.
Jack Rixey, the owner and operator of Dog Days Farm in Fitzwilliam, which sells produce, said the program helped him purchase an agricultural flame weeder in 2023, and that he was applying for a grant this year to help enhance some of the farm's greenhouses.
'These pieces of equipment allow us to farm efficiently and profitably and support our business, which … is a fledgling business for me,' he said. He said his purchase of the farm about three years ago came with debt and high start-up costs.
'Agricultural equipment is notoriously high-cost,' Rixey said. 'Without this grant, we would not be able to purchase some of the vital pieces of equipment that we use to farm profitably, to … pay our employees a fair wage, and to protect our soil, which is the most important part of our farm.'
Lawmakers leading the bill urged their colleagues to see the funds as a money-saving investment — one that would pay dividends for farmers and the state.
Rep. Judy Aron, a South Acworth Republican sponsoring the bill, said state support would yield continued backing from private donors; ultimately increase farm production, and therefore state tax revenues; and make farmers better equipped to handle floods, droughts, and pests, which will make them less likely to need disaster help in the future.
'$50,000 that will help a whole lot of farms is a lot cheaper than … the recovery money that we could possibly be asked for if we don't do that,' said Rep. Peter Bixby, a Dover Democrat and co-sponsor.